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Sunday 1:15 - 2:05 PM
Magnolia B
A Study of Collaboration in Second Language Learning Assessment 
Christine Chai-Nelson, Mark Evan Nelson
Kanda University of International Studies, Japan 

According to predominant thinking and practice, most language teachers would likely agree that an effective approach should fundamentally involve interaction, interdependence and negotiation of meaning on the part of learners. Therefore, logically, the testing components of a CLT curriculum might also benefit from these same communicative principles.  Yet, testing has been largely neglected in the development of the communicative language teaching paradigm. In response to this apparent need, under the auspices of the Research Institute for Language Studies and Language Education of Kanda University of International Studies, we have undertaken a two-year project to explore how collaborative testing may impact the language acquisition process of first- and second-year Japanese university students. In our presentation we intend to outline the rationale, objectives and structure of our research; show results of the in-progress analysis of the data we will have collected- and make preliminary projections for the outcome of the project. 



Christine Chai-Nelson received her MA in TESOL from San Francisco State University. As a second-generation Korean-American and having been surrounded by family members who have been and still are ESL/EFL 
learners, she has always been sensitive to and interested in the process of second language acquisition. Her teaching experiences include working in adult literacy programs at San Francisco City College and at a local non-profit organization; as well as working for an intensive, pre-academic language school, the American Language Institute, at San Francisco State University. She is currently employed at Kanda University of International Studies in Japan. 

Mark Evan Nelson received his MA in TESOL from San Francisco State University. He has taught both in the United States and abroad and is currently in his second year of teaching at the Kanda University of International Studies in Chiba, Japan. A native New Yorker, he received his undergraduate training in painting and art education from Pratt Institute. This admixture of visual arts and language teaching principles has produced a keen interest in the communicative properties of visual imagery and their application to language learning and teaching.